
Etsy is offering free Etsy-branded shipping tape to sellers, though it appears to be a limited offer that the company began sending to sellers in late June.
"I was happy to receive an email from Etsy this morning," a seller wrote on the
Etsy discussion boards. "It offered three free rolls of shipping tape printed with Etsy logos. I'm glad to see another way of putting the Etsy name out there."
Some sellers didn't receive the offer, and one seller said they had to enter "tape" in their email search-bar to find it, "But it was there. I'm all about FREE! lol."
Another seller responded, "Well, I don't know about "free." I figure these cost me about $200+ per roll in additional fees the last 3 months. That's mighty expensive tape." That may have been a reference to Etsy's off-site advertising program, which is mandatory for sellers who do over a certain amount in sales.
When a seller on a
separate thread, started on June 26th, posted the text of the email they received, others questioned whether it might be a phishing email.
A thank you gift from Etsy
We noticed you've been using Etsy shipping labels to get your packages out to customers. Smart move! Not only are you saving time and money, you're also creating a great customer experience - since Etsy shipping labels automatically provide them with tracking updates.
As our way of saying thank you, we'd like to offer you three rolls of our specially designed Etsy packing tape highlighting our carbon-offset shipping commitment. It’s a nice way to make your packages pop while reminding your buyers that when they shop Etsy they're also doing good for the planet. That's because we were the first major online shopping destination to offset 100% of carbon emissions for every package shipped. There's a limited supply, so claim your complimentary tape before it runs out!
Claim your free packing tape
Let's be friends
"I got the offer, but was stuck in a glitch - to accept the tape you have to go through a survey app and it keeps telling me my email is not correct (the very same email the notice was sent to)," a seller wrote. "Apparently many people are seeing the same error message. When I went back it said I completed the survey, so who knows if I'll get it or not."
"I'm getting the invalid email issue too," a seller wrote yesterday. "I got the email 6 minutes ago, so I certainly hope they didn't run out."
Sellers also debated the value of using Etsy-branded shipping supplies. "I may be in the minority here but I would never use Etsy branded packing tape unless of course they start paying me to advertise for them," one seller wrote. "I much prefer to advertise my business not one of the platforms I choose to use to sell things from my business."
Another seller disagreed. "I don't mind using the tape with the Etsy advertising. The more people that see the word Etsy, the better for me."
And then there were those who felt the branding could subject the boxes to greater risk of theft, an issue eBay sellers have debated since it entered into a deal to allow a company to sell eBay-branded shipping supplies on its marketplace.
"Some think that an item "from Etsy" is worthy of stealing," a seller wrote. "So, identifying contents as being from "Etsy" might draw unwanted attention."